Mercedes-Benz E sedan quick review

It's sleek, stylish and stands out from the crowd — but is the Mercedes-Benz E 4Matic Coupe more than just a cruiser? It appears, at least on face value, to be a luxury sports cruiser, the type of car that would look right at home parked out the front of the Radisson Plaza as it would in front of the holiday house down the coast.

And, to my eye at least, it looks that sum of money every day of the week, both inside and out. This thing is packed with kit, including some cool-but-questionable items like the configurable colour ambient lighting that allow you to choose from 64 colours for your dash and door illumination. Other standard fare includes inch AMG wheels with run-flat tyres and a tyre pressure monitoring system, a Burmester sound system with 19 speakers, a panoramic sunroof, tinted rear glass, a head-up display, heated front seats, a sports exhaust system, and full LED headlights with auto high-beam.

It is an epic engine, one that will launch you down the road at silly speeds without a sense of strain. In more sedate driving, the drivetrain is delightful — smooth, but punchy when you need it. The fuel use claim is 8.

Indeed, the powerplant is somewhat at odds with the rest of the drive experience — because, theoretically, it could be at home in a more performance-oriented application. But, the E is much more a grand tourer, definitely a cruiser rather than a bruiser. With that high-tech driver assist tech on board, it makes sense more as the type of car that can kill kilometres, though we found that the steering assist can ping-pong you in your lane a little.

Indeed, we noted some suspension wallow and wobble over mid-corner bumps, which upset the body of the car where other, similar vehicles have tracked true. Nonetheless, both are noticeably smaller and being one class size down, offer far less in terms of technological innovations inside and out. On the flipside, the hushed nature of the E makes it an ideal car for a long weekend away. It is plush, there is no argument, with its dual The one in front of the driver is configurable to show different instrument cluster designs, and you control the appearance using the buttons on the steering wheel — which can take a little bit of getting used to.

The middle screen is the Comand Online infotainment system control centre. You control it with the strange codpiece controller between the front seats, which is something I still struggle to accustom to even after extensive exposure. The menu system is complicated, too — I find myself wishing it were simpler to navigate, with menus upon menus making it a little distracting to use on the move.

There are terrific design features, such as the array of vents, that ambient lighting setup, and the black ash dash finish. The back seat is easy to access, even for bigger than average adults, although there are only two rear seats able to be used, and while toe-room and legroom is good, headroom is a bit tight. There are no rear grab handles, which is a pain, and while the rear seat is a So, what do we make of the Mercedes-Benz E 4Matic?

It is, as we said, an eye-catching and undeniably luxurious offering, something that certainly has heaps of punch and makes a strong argument as a primo cruiser. One hundred per cent. Visit our Mercedes-Benz Showroom. Local pricing announced …. The seat comfort is very good in the front, while at the rear it is roomy, but not perfect. Click the Gallery tab above for more images by Sam Venn.